Jarrod Bacon’s stay in halfway house extended by six months

Jarrod Bacon has had his stay in a halfway house extended by six months, according to a national parole board decision reached Tuesday.

The board said that Bacon – a former key player in the Red Scorpions gang – has taken positive steps to improve himself since coming out of prison on statutory release in June, but they still have concerns about his criminal background.

“The board continues to be of the opinion that intensified supervision is necessary in order to appropriately manage the risk you present while in the community,” the documents state.

The parole board last week released documents from their decision in June that Bacon was to reside in a halfway house – the papers don’t say where – for six months after reaching the statutory release date of his 14-year sentence for drug conspiracy in Abbotsford.

The board said there was a delay in releasing the decision due to a “technical glitch.”

Those documents detailed the parole board’s scathing criticism of Bacon’s behaviour in prison, including their belief that he maintained ties with inmates known to be linked to the Hells Angels and that he has had an “ongoing influence in the gang environment.”

The most recent decision says that when Bacon was first released from jail, he “prioritized spending time with (his) loved ones rather than actively looking for a job, which led to several interventions.”

He then began doing full-time supervised volunteering – the documents don’t indicate where – saying he wanted to “give back to the community and avoid negative influences,” the documents state.

“This appears to be a positive experience … It allowed for you to work on your attitude and humble yourself, and the resource has only good words for the help you provided,” the board told Bacon.

The documents indicate that Bacon stopped volunteering when he began classes in September towards his high school diploma.

His case management team (CMT) indicated that Bacon “positively participates in structured activities” and has made efforts to work on himself and “modify (his) lifestyle.”

But they said they have difficulty doing follow-ups with him because he uses “defence mechanisms.”

“Your understanding of your offence cycle is described as being superficial and academic, and cognitive distortions are still present,” the parole board said.

They also addressed an incident, which they described as “suspicious, in October, when Bacon was due for a urine test. He informed his CMT, one hour before the deadline, that he had been in a hit-and-run crash. He was taken to hospital, where he was given morphine, and his urine test showed up negative.

The next day, he met with his CMT and appeared agitated, the documents state.

Bacon’s CMT said they had no proof that he intentionally delayed the urine test or that he had used illicit substances, but they had concerns.

“It is the opinion of your CMT that work remains to be done with regards to attitude, transparency, collaboration with authorities and substance use,” the parole board said.

The board said it is difficult to conclude that Bacon has made any “significant progress” since being released.

Inmates must be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence, and can remain in the community to complete the other one-third, as long as they commit no other crimes or don’t breach their conditions.

The parole board determines what conditions they must follow while completing their sentence in the community.

Bacon was sentenced in 2012 but his release date came up so soon due to his receiving double credit for time already served before sentencing.

At the time of his 2009 arrest, Bacon was living in Abbotsford and was part of the notorious Bacon brothers, who were running the Red Scorpions gang, which was involved in a violent – and often deadly – conflict with the UN Gang.

Jonathan Bacon was killed in a targeted shooting in Kelowna in April 2011, and Jamie Bacon is currently in prison awaiting trial on counselling to commit murder.